


Another one bites the dust

by jamsiesir (everything)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Crime Fiction, Detective Sirius Black, Explicit Language, F/M, Implied minor body part amputation, M/M, Mild Blood, Minor Character Death, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:14:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24222625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everything/pseuds/jamsiesir
Summary: Detective Sirius Black is one of the best in his unit: together with his partner (and best friend) James Potter they're every criminal's nightmare. When a series of mysterious murders appears in the city, will they be able to solve it? And who really is Remus Lupin?
Relationships: (past) Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. Sugar Rush

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: These guys aren’t mine as you all know. I have no experience of police and forensics work: all I know is from tv shows, crime fiction and a bit of research - there may be many wrong things but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway.
> 
> A/N: I will add tags and characters with every new chapter - it is a crime fiction, it has got suspense so I don't want to spoil your reading experience. Anyway, if there will be any possibly traumatic thing or image, I will add a trigger warning at the beginning of the chapter (either in the summary or in the notes) so that you can choose whether or not keep on reading it.

It is all his fault: this is the only thing that Sirius Black is sure of at the moment.

James and him were about to arrest the culprit of a series of robberies that have been giving troubles to the city as well as various horrendous headaches to the both of them in the last months. It was supposed to be an easy catch: reach the suspect, confront him, call help if he was armed and arrest him. That was the plan - hell, that was what they always did when they had to arrest someone. However, Sirius must have been thinking himself way too smart to follow the very well trusted scheme James has been planning out for _hours_ the night before - he must have thought how stupid that is, how _boring._ Why do they always do the very same thing again and again?

Then, he proceeds to intentionally break one of Alastor Moody’s golden rules: _never ever provoke a prime suspect, especially when he is about to confess._ Sirius Black has never been one for rules, even if they were meant to be followed for his own safety: so, when he finds himself in front of the suspect, _vis a vis_ , the detective begins to taunt him, ignoring James’ warning yells.

His attitude is one of the reasons why the investigation unit’s Chief has never given him a new partner: James Potter is supposed to cool down his hot head as well as give stability to the investigation. He is also the only one who knows Sirius the best out of their colleagues, because James has been his best friend since they were little eleven years old boys with a terrible sweet tooth and too many pranks’ ideas in mind. Nevertheless, James isn’t always able to _reign_ his quasi-brother’s temper or rush behaviour - he does his best to prevent troubles but - _Jesus_ \- sometimes Sirius is really hard to reason with.

This is exactly what happened: Sirius was being stupid and his partner was trying to make him shut up with the tone of voice and a few glances (that had worked before), when the man in front of them pushed some unidentified objects their way and took off.

«Are you still following him?» James’ voice asks, coming out the ear-piece snuggled under the helmet - this is what brings Sirius’ mind back to the present.

He is currently on his motorbike, tailing the criminal’s car as it turns right, then left, then right again: the police officer finds himself swaying among other cars, trying to keep up with the bastard who won’t let himself get caught.

«Sirius? Did you hear me?»

«Yes. Sorry James - got distracted» Sirius replies, then gives a quick look around. «We’re near Harry’s daycare - I’m about to pass that restaurant on the right.»

«I’m almost there, just need to turn left» James says and the detective can actually hear the car’s motor moan as his partner speeds up. _That is it_ , Sirius thinks as he prepares himself to step on it and come up beside the suspect’s car. «Sirius» his friend calls him, as if he has just read his mind. «Don’t do anything in a rush: wait for me.»

He hates it when James does it: knowing him so well that he can actually predict his next move sometimes. It reminds him of when they used to live together and his best friend seemed to know exactly when Sirius was about to accidentally burn down the whole house. «I wasn’t going to rush into anything - just giving us a better chance to get him.»

James snorts. «Whatever makes you sleep at night, mate» he says and Sirius feels a bit offended. «I’m going to cut his way as soon as I see the bloody car - are you ready for us to catch one more bad guy?»

«Always.»

***

«You’re first in the rankings - _again_ _»_ is what Kingsley Shacklebolt tells him as Sirius and James enter the office, after they questioned the culprit. «Man, nobody is ever going to beat you, I swear.»

The _very secret Mad-Eye mustn_ _’t know about it or he will skin us off_ rankings is a list that includes all of the detectives of the investigation unit, in order of the number of arrests made. The first place usually gets their drinks paid at the pub (the one they all go during non-working hours) for about a month, leaving the next month free for whoever is going to be first. It was Sirius’ idea to keep the team focused on the cases as well as to get as many free drinks as he could - he knew that he and James were going to be the leading pair for as long as they decided to continue listing merits on the rankings. They are the best in the unit and this is a fact.

«That’s because we don’t need Cumberbatch to solve our cases - we do just fine by ourselves» Sirius jokes, going for the coffee machine beside Shacklebolt. He takes a coffee pod and inserts it in the machine, then turns it on.

James laughs, giving him a glass. «I don’t remember you saying something about not needing him while watching _Doctor Strange,_ last month»

Sirius shakes his head and stops the device when the glass is half-full. «I said we don’t need him _for cases_ ,» he replies, shrugging. «We’re no Lestrade, after all.»

His friend chuckles while pouring boiled water in a mug - the tea bag already in. «Well, I mean, you could be-» James says as he shrugs - a little smirk on his face.

A smart (and very offended) reply is making its way up his mouth, but never actually gets to go out before another voice chimes in. «Are you going to celebrate tonight, lads?» asks detective McKinnon - her long and blond hair tickles his cheek as she tries to bring her arm around his shoulders (Sirius is too tall for her to do it properly without standing on the tip of her feet -he isn’t going to tell her, though. She is way too vicious to get on her bad side). «I think I heard something about a _Ben C_ marathon? _Christ_ , Sirius, and here I hoped you would celebrate by finally breaking your drinking record.»

His lips curl up in an amused smirk as he sees out of the corner of his eye James gulping down his tea. «Nope, no drinking records tonight. I’ve got a date with my adorable godson - we’re going to have a pyjama party» he whispers like it is a big secret. «The only marathon I will be doing is going to be a _Paw Patrol_ one. Maybe I can even get James and Lily to allow ice cream after dinner.» 

The woman snorts and lets him go, pouring herself a cup of water. «Sure, if you want to stay up all night running after a two years old high on sugar» she says, knowing perfectly how active little Harry Potter is - even without the sugar rush.

The boy’s father raises his mug amused, as if he is drinking to that very statement. «All alone» he adds.

Sirius presses his lips together, then: «I wouldn’t be alone, would I? There is always Snuffles.»

James laughs, as they begin to walk to their desks. «Yeah, that giant dog of yours» he says, putting down the mug - he needs his hands to emphasise the animal’s size.

«I’ll let you know that Snuffles is a really handsome dog.»

«Sometimes I think that if you were a dog, you’d be Snuffles - do you know that?»

Sirius’ hand falls on his chest, right over his heart, while his mouth opens in an honest impression of surprise. «James Potter, are you saying I’m handsome?»

«No, I’m saying -»

A _thump_ cuts him off, making the both of them look up to the door where a man is standing. He has a wooden cane to help himself walk forward - his limping is as obvious as the deep scar across his left eye. Alastor Moody, better known as Mad-Eye or as the Chief of the unit, sure knows how to make an impression on people - whether with his figure or his attitude.

«Potter, Black, good job today» his voice is rough, like his throat hurts with every word he pronounces.

Sirius and James straighten themselves up like they are standing at attention. «Thank you, _sir_.»

Moody looks at the both of them in that strange way: it makes Sirius feel like the Chief can read his every thought just by watching him. «I will be waiting for a report on this case on my desk for Monday» he says, then nods to himself. «Don’t you let your guard down just because you just closed a tricky case - there are plenty of criminals waiting on the streets. Constant vigilance, don’t you forget it.»

Sirius nods and then leans back on James’ desk as the Chief gives their back to them. «Will he ever be tired of saying the same thing every time someone catches a criminal?» he asks when he is sure Moody can’t hear him.

«I bet he even says it in his sleep» replies the other, smiling at the image. «He wakes up in the night yelling _Constant vigilance_ , then goes back to sleep.»

«Do you reckon he can sleep? I mean - if I had that kind of attitude I wouldn’t close an eye» Sirius watches as James slips a file in one of the desk’s drawers, then closes it with a key. «Should I write it?» he asks cocking his head to the left. «Last time you did it and -»

«Don’t worry» James answers, shrugging. «I don’t mind a little bit of paperwork» he puts his arm around Sirius’ shoulders, winking at him. «I have to go, though. Lils is waiting for me: Harry is with mum until six. We’ve got two whole hours for ourselves» the face he makes is actually kind of stupid - Sirius flicks his cheek.

«Go and be disgusting with your wife - I’ll be at yours at seven with Snuffles.»

James pinches him in one of his sides pulling a grimace out of him. «It’s a date» he announces, then walks away.

***

«Nuff» Harry laughs, sitting on the large black dog’s back as Sirius watches them with a fond smile on his face. Harry's entire existence is one of the few fixed and happy points he had never thought he could have in life: his godson has broken into his heart since he was just a tiny point in his mum's belly, he makes all his worries melt away just by laughing like he is doing now and - _Christ_ , who knew he could love someone this much.

«Slow down, buddy, you don't want to fall off.»

«If he falls off that beast you call a dog, Black, I swear I will serve your head as a dish» says Lily from the kitchen, where James and her are cooking dinner.

Sirius raises his eyebrows and tickles Harry on the sides, making him giggle cutely. «Nice to know you have so much faith in me, Evans.»

«Potter!» James corrects him, his voice tone smug. _Jesus_ , it is in moments like this one that Sirius remembers how much pining his best friend had to do before Lily actually agreed to go out with him.

«Evans Potter» he answers with a smile on his face, crouching properly down to let the child play with his long hair. At this, Snuffle lays down, putting his muzzle onto his forelegs and closing his eyes. Thinking of it, that dog is a very strange one: since he was a puppy he has been a mix between a dog' and a cat's behaviour. Or, well, his attitude is canine, but sometimes he disappears making Sirius worry for him for days and then comes back home - just like a cat would do.

«Hush» Sirius tells Harry, picking him up. «Snuffles is tired, let's give him some time to sleep»

The child nods with his big green eyes looking at him attentive. Sirius gives him a kiss and then takes him in the kitchen, watching over the Potters' attempt to set the table.

«Hi, love. Were you tired of playing with Snuffles?» Lily asks when she notices them - walking towards Sirius, she takes her child in her arms, filling his little face with kisses.

Sirius smiles, stretching his back, then takes over and continues setting the table. «Yes, darling, Snuffles is so boring these days» he jokes, looking at her as if she was the sun.

Lily rolls her eyes. «I wasn't talking to _you_ » she retorts at the same time as Harry says «Nuff sleep», making his mother coo at him («Is he, love? Is the doggy sleeping?»).

Sirius knows that some day that child will be the death of the three of them - they are all wrapped up around his little finger, ready to give him whatever he wants just to see him happy. _Christ_ , the child will grow up to be spoiled rotten. He sighs amused and goes near James, who is arranging the pasta in the plates.

There is something that is bothering Sirius since they left the police station - something possibly stupid, but serious at the same time. He leans next to the kitchen counter and looks at his best friend, his teeth worrying the bottom lip. That very something falls deep into his stomach as he clears out his throat.

«Hey, James» he calls him, whispering so that neither Lily or Harry can’t hear him - even if Sirius knows that Lily would give them a moment if she could hear him.

James looks up from the plate with a smile on his face that is soon replaced with a frown when he takes in Sirius’ expression. «Don’t worry sweetheart, you know Lils loves you» he tries to joke to set the mood up.

Sirius gives him a tight smile. «I know, I mean - how can she not love me?»

James’ eyes are smiling, but his mouth is not - one of his hands reaches Sirius’ hair, ruffling it. «Yes, that’s the right attitude.»

There is a long quiet moment, before the other man shrugs and licks his lips. «I was thinking about the case report and - I _know_ you don’t want to, but I think -»

«No, Sirius, no» James cuts him off, voice low but firm. «I’m not going to rat on you. Did you do something stupid today? Yes. Did you fix it as soon as possible? Yes» he puts his hand on Sirius’ arm, to make him look at him in the eyes. «You’ve been suspended once before, I’m not going to put you in that position again since it was my fault too.»

Even though his friend seems set on his position, Sirius shakes his head then moves his eyes on the ceiling, trying to control himself and not to tell anything stupid - sometimes it’s so hard to reason with him. «It was all my fault and you should write it down.»

«I’m guilty too» Sirius opens his mouth to protest but James is quicker. «Yes, I am - _look_ , we caught the guy half an hour later thanks to you and your stupid bike. I’m not going to ignore it» he looks at him in the way he always does when he wants to put a stop at the conversation, then turns back to finish serving the food.

«What if you get in trouble just because -»

James hands him a couple of plates. «I’m not going to» it’s his answer, way too sure. «And if I ever was, I’m sure you’ll be there to cover my arse. Because that’s what _we_ always do - what we’ve always done» and Sirius knows he is right, he knows that James won’t do it if it was someone else - his morals are too high to think that something like this was right- and he knows that he would do the same in a blink if the roles were reversed.

«Yes» Sirius confirms. «Yes, I will» and it’s true, he will - but that doesn’t mean he won’t feel more guilty about it, then.

His friend’s smile is small as his hand hits the back of Sirius’ shoulder (is he reading his mind again?). «Anyway» he begins, voice at normal volume again. «Have you heard about the man who is moving into our unit on Monday? Transferred from Cardiff.»

Sirius puts the dishes on the table, his eyes finding Lily and Harry playing with a spoon. «Someone’s transferring? Is it someone Moody approves of?»

«Alice told me Mad-Eye actually insisted on having him with us in London - she reckons he might be brilliant.»

«Are we going to get some good competition?» Sirius asks, sitting down to eat.

«I don’t know - if Moody did really insist on having him, this Remus Lupin must be a crime solving genius.»

He snorts, not feeling intimidated in the slightest. «Oh» he says as Snuffles makes his way into the room and puts his head on Sirius’ knee «I can't wait to find out.»


	2. Remus Lupin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius’ neighbour has been killed: her body was found in her own sitting room. As Sirius tries to figure things out (and to be polite to forensics), James Potter and Remus Lupin arrive on the scene.  
> TW: Mild Blood, TW: Implied Minor Body Part Amputation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: These guys aren’t mine as you all know. I have no experience of police and forensics work: all I know is from tv shows, crime fiction and a bit of research - there may be many wrong things but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway.
> 
> TW: Mild Blood, TW: Implied Minor Body Part Amputation
> 
> 05/21/2020: after re-reading it, I've found out I had uploaded the wrong version of the chapter. I've updated it with the right one: there are minor but significant changes.

A woman is on the floor, staring with empty eyes at the ceiling. On her neck there is a deep cut and something is on her chest; it's pink (almost red) and if Sirius squints his eyes he can almost suppose it is- oh. His breakfast threatens to come up when he realises it is a _tongue_. The woman’s tongue.

Dolores Umbridge, the victim, is - _was_ \- one of his neighbours. She wasn’t the most pleasant woman in the whole world; people likes to tell stories on how Dolores loved to torture people - especially kids. Sirius doesn't really believe them (who knew what they were telling about him behind his back?) but he can't deny that her house from the inside looks creepy. Bloody hell, he can swear that the first time he's been there he has seen in the parlour near the comfort chairs a sort of-

«Oh, you’re here,» comes a high-pitched voice behind his back.

Sirius nods and continues his inspection. «When was she found?»

«Her neighbour, Mister Fudge, found her about an hour ago,» the officer reports dutifully, «he said the door was open when he first came in.»

Sirius hums in response. Is there something missing? Maybe some pieces of the Chinese tea set? Or is it the fourth painting on the wall? He will have to read the report later.

«Oh, James told me to give you this whenever you came,» officer Pettigrew says and hands him a jotter. «He will come back later with the new one. Mad-Eye wanted James to show him around.»

«Thank you, Peter» Sirius says, browsing through the notepad before pocketing it. It seems like nothing is missing, after all. «Have you called forensics?» he asks and resumes looking around. So, Umbridge was found dead in front of the couch; she is sprawled on the floor. Watching the position her corpse is in it seems like- Wait.

«Yes,» Pettigrew nods, «They’re on their way,» he hesitates and little and then, «Have you heard anything about the new detective?»

The older man crouches down enough to see under the couch. Has he heard anything about him? James hasn’t shut up about it since the other night - Lily and Sirius have faked being jealous just to pull his legs off. «His name is Lupin, isn’t it?» he asks, feigning ignorance. Is that a piece of paper? He rummages through his jacket’s pockets until he finds a pair of gloves. Putting them on, Sirius leans in to get it; as his fingers touch the smooth surface he understands it is some kind of paper.

«Yes, it is. However,» the officer swallows as Sirius stands up. «I was talking about what everyone’s saying about him,»

The detective looks at him, before inspecting what has turned out to be a picture. «And what is it?» probably something about him being a genius. Sirius smiles a little thinking about it, before focusing on the case at hand again. It isn’t that easy figuring out what is the subject of it; it seems like a tiny writing but he can’t understand either the words or what they are engraved on.

«It seems like he was the prime suspect for a murder back there,» Peter tells him, his voice barely audible. «he got off just because there weren’t enough evidences,» his blue eyes squint as he tries to recall what he heard. «that’s why he was transferred here.»

«A murder?» Sirius turns to him, taken aback. «Is really that what people come up with?» he shakes his head. «At least, when I was assigned here, I was Moody’s bitch. That was an interesting story,» he raises his eyebrows in amusement. «I had so much fun trying to live up my reputation, even if Mad-Eye wasn’t so happy about it» Then, Sirius shows the photograph to Peter. «Have you seen something like this in the room before I came here?» Peter stares at it but before he can talk, someone cuts him off.

«I hope you haven’t polluted any kind of useful evidence, detective _Black_ ,» it is always a surprise to Sirius knowing that there is someone who can spat out his family’s name better than him - not that he will ever admit it. As long as that someone is a hook-nosed man with greasy black hair, and sallow skin, Sirius will always deny it.

«Snape,» his eyebrows are raised in fake disbelief, «and here I thought you would be hiding forever in that little mortuary of yours,» his free hand on his heart, Sirius goes on. «I’m so happy you didn’t,»

Severus Snape glares at him before walking towards the corpse and kneeling at its side. Putting on some gloves and opening his bag, the coroner begins to examine the body carefully. Sirius looks at the way his gloved hands are inspecting every cut, after having put the tongue (his stomach is still protesting at the sight) in an evidence bag. He finds himself tuning everything out, while staring at Snape working - Sirius really misses having Lily on a crime scene. Mrs Potter is a forensics too but since Harry’s birth, she has decided to limit herself to lab work so that she could have an ordinary job shift (from 9 am to 3 pm) - being on the field means being on call 24/7 and she wants to spend as much time as she can with her son without giving up on a job she loves. Sirius still thinks it isn’t fair and James has often proposed to be the one doing desk jobs so that Lily could work all she wanted, but his wife doesn't even let him finish speaking before arguing with him («Don’t you dare continue. I’m making my own decision, nobody’s forcing me - I want to stay with our son and I won’t regret anything»).

«Severe blood loss» is what Snape says, breaking Sirius from his reveries. «It is obvious, yes, but there is something I can’t understand» his voice hides a hint of regret when saying this - he doesn’t want Sirius to know that he can’t figure something out.

«The cuts?» Sirius asks, looking down at the body.

Snape tightens his lips, running a finger along one of the wounds. «I need to inspect them a bit further in the lab before I can figure out how they were made.»

 _Lily would have known_ , Sirius thinks but doesn’t say it: as fun as it was, antagonising Severus Snape wouldn't be a useful thing to do right now - last time that pathetic excuse of a coroner actually withheld information from Sirius because of a smart reply. Thank god for the autopsy report. «Well, if you find anything out in the meantime, let me know» he says and goes back to take a look at the surroundings, then looks at the photo again.

He can’t figure out where that thing could be - Sirius has tried searching everywhere. He is tempted to take a look at the corpse but with Snape there - wait, without telling the forensics’ officer about the photo is he withholding information too?

«Yes, I was thinking about that too. Perhaps, we should talk with other neighbours -»

Sirius turns around at the sound of a stranger’s voice coming from the entrance - his eyes find James’ figure first: his jet-black hair is as messy as ever and the way he is running his fingers through it doesn’t really help. He has always had this habit, since the first time Sirius has met him - sometimes James would run his hands through his hair so much that it began to resemble a bird nest, particularly in the first few months they had met Lily. It was ridiculously funny, actually.

Then, his eyes move to the owner of that voice (mild, slightly hoarse, Sirius notices) and finds him at James’ left, a little smile playing on his lips - he is taller than James but not by much and leaner too. As he walks he is hunched, his shoulders a bit closed - unsure, introverted: that’s what his body language is telling Sirius and he just can’t help but keep on studying him. If he is too lost in it that he doesn’t notice the two of them approaching him, it’s probably just his job coming out in him.

«Sirius,» James smiles - his hazel eyes twinkling with amusement at something the other man must have said just a minute ago. «This is detective Remus Lupin, our newest addition» Sirius nods and extends his hand so that _Lupin_ can take it. «Remus, this is Sirius Black, my partner» James adds and the man shakes his hand looking at him in the eyes.

«Nice to meet you» Lupin says in a perfectly polite tone, but Sirius can see something in his eyes (green with flickers of brown around the pupil that makes him think of sunflowers) - something he can’t grasp because it is gone before he can wrap his head around it.

«You too» he replies, letting his hand go as James says «We need to change the way we introduce ourselves to new people - it makes it seem like we're together» with a little laugh.

Sirius snorts, then cocks his head to the left feigning disappointment. «Do you mean you don't love me?» he begins. «Last night was nothing to you? I'm hurt, James, _hurt_.»

It makes James take his hand, as if it is something fragile and stare at him adoringly before letting down the act. «Fuck, we should stop doing shits like this at a crime scene» he says and Sirius finds himself disagree with him: a crime scene, sometimes, can be the best place for a joke. «I feel like it's not appropriate.»

Lupin makes a strangled sound (a repressed chuckle, maybe) and when they turn to him, he looks like he wants to add something. «I'm going to talk to the coroner» it’s not what he was going to say: Sirius has seen his throat swallow the words down - the nose scrunched up for a moment.

«Good luck with that: Snape has been as useful as a chocolate teapot» Sirius answers, raising his eyebrows.

Lupin’s hands find their way into his pants’ pockets and he seems to sink into himself as he shows a little smile. «Yes, well - I’ll let you know how that goes» he says, then goes towards Snape, still crouched down on Umbridge’s dead body.

«So,» Sirius begins, trying not to stare too much at the man’s back. «You finally met the man: how is he?» he questions James,

«He seems like a nice, quiet guy but I bet he’s quite witty.»

«He seems like he can be crushed by the wind, though.»

«That’s what we thought of Pete his first day on a crime scene, but look at him now» James gestures towards said officer and Sirius watches him noting down what Mr. Fudge is saying to him. «Never judge a book by its cover, Sirius - you should know it.»

Yes, he should.

Sirius opens his mouth, then hesitates: he wants to ask James how the case report went, if he had any problem, but he can’t - even if it has been on his mind since Saturday. Not right there, on a crime scene, when they’re trying to figure out a murder. «Anyway, what do you think of the case?»

«Peter has given me a summary and it feels like the victim knew the killer.»

Sirius nods, looking towards the door. «That’s what I was thinking too - no sign of break in, she opened the door and invited them in.»

James hums, bringing his arms to his back. «Poor woman, didn’t know better» he comments, then extended a hand as if he has just remembered something. «Did Peter give you the jotter? Can I give it a look? There may be interesting infos Pete didn’t tell me.»

Sirius shrugs and gives him the jotter as well as the picture. «I found this under the couch next to the body - I’ve been trying searching for that writing but I couldn’t find anything» he explains as James observes the photo, turning it around as if it might help him figure it out.

James takes the jotter next, then looks over towards the body, frowning. «Where is the blood?» he asks. Sirius looks at him, startled.

«What?»

«Probable cause of death: severe blood loss» James reads. «Why isn't she soaked in blood?»

 _That's_ \- Sirius opens his eyes, looking at him, then the floor. There should be a pool of blood, but there isn't: why hasn't he noticed? Was he too preoccupied with his own mistake to be able to focus on something so obvious?

«James, Black, come look at this» Lupin’s voice says and Sirius finds himself following James to him. «It seems like the killer wanted to leave a message» his face is a bit pale - the sight makes him wonder if he is the right guy to investigate a crime scene (the fact that Sirius himself was about to throw up a few minutes ago doesn’t change anything).

His eyes fall on the spot Lupin is pointing at and there is it, the writing Sirius has been searching for: it’s on the victims left arm, going towards her wrist. «Bloody hell» he hears James say. «They took their time engraving it - what did they use?»

«Snape says he will be sure after examining it in the lab, but he thinks it’s something little - like the knife people use to carve fruits»

«I must not tell lies» Sirius reads out loud, nose scrunching up in thought. «It’s really - it feels like a punishment of sorts, if you think about the tongue too.»

«The tongue?»

«When I came here there was a tongue on her chest - I think her own. Snape has got it in a evidence bag.»

« _Christ_ , that’s fucked up. Cutting her tongue, engraving that sentence on her arm…» James says, massaging his forehead with a hand. «Must be someone who wanted to take revenge for - I don’t know.»

 _But the blood_ \- Sirius thinks. «Why did they clean up the blood?» he asks to himself as well as them.

«That’s what I was asking myself too - Snape was quite taken aback when I asked him about it» Lupin says - bottom lip trapped between his teeth as he thinks. «Maybe we should begin with the neighbourhood, see if someone knows something - about the _vendetta_.»

Sirius starts making a list in his mind of people who would talk to him without him pulling ranks, of the ones who just like to gossip about people and, then, people who are most likely to eat their hands rather than talk about other people's business - _Jesus_ , he has the weirdest neighbours. «I can give you a few names - people who probably know everything that happens around here» Lupin’s eyebrows raise in surprise as they take a step back, giving some space to the forensics’ officers that were moving the body to take it to the morgue. «I live here» he answers the silent question.

«Three houses down on the right - do you remember the one with the large black dog sleeping on the grass?» James tells him, gesturing with his hands. Lupin nods, looking at Sirius a bit confused. He can just imagine what the other is thinking: Sirius doesn’t look like the type that could live in a house like that - he knows it. However, it is a gift uncle Alphard gave him after his death, a sort of inheritance, and Sirius isn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

«Well, yes. We could split them between the three of us, so that we can make it quick» he says, counting on his fingers. «You can also question me too - but I know shit about it» apart from some stupid gossip but he has always ignored it.

James nods in agreement: he knows that Sirius spends more time at his and Lily’s than at his own and, when he is actually at home, doesn’t engage in small talk with others if he isn’t forced to. Lupin, however, presses his lips together and steps right into Sirius’ comfort zone without a warning.

«Then you wouldn’t mind it if I asked some questions» he asks, an easy smile on his mouth. «It’s - you know, the protocol.»

Sirius finds himself taking a step back - the small distance with a stranger feels too (disturbing? Distracting?) _invasive_ to be able to think properly. «Yes, sure» he replies, licking his lips. He sees James turning to speak with an officer (is it Thompson?) with the corner of his eyes. «Ask away.»

***

It seems like that when Sirius says he knows shit about something he actually means that he unwillingly knows some very useful information about said thing - or that’s what Remus Lupin thinks, anyway. Sirius has to admit that the talking about Umbridge torturing people ( _children_ ) may be an interesting story but it doesn’t seem plausible enough to him to begin investigating from it.

«There must be a little something about it: people don’t make stories up if there isn’t a little bit of truth in them» Lupin says, when they finally exit the house.

«I think he may be right - don’t you remember the Shrieking Shack?» James asks, pointing at Sirius.

«The Shrieking Shack?» Lupin repeats, confused and Sirius, for a short moment, actually forgets that he has just arrived into the city and doesn’t know about things like these.

«Yes, it’s an old tale» James begins to answer. «There is this little house in the court of one of the castles - don’t actually remember which one, I think it’s in Kent - anyway, people like to tell each other that the place is haunted or that it is a werewolf’s home - the version changes from time to time» he goes on, scratching his head (something James always does when he is unsure about something). «Anyway, people heard screaming coming from it and crafted a cute little Halloween’s story.»

«Ghosts or werewolves?» says Lupin, the angles of his mouth twitching for a moment.

«Better than the truth» Sirius answers, shrugging. «A serial killer used the house as his _office_ \- he was vicious and quite sadistic. It is better to think about werewolves instead of a random dude skinning people off, isn’t it?»

Lupin’s eyes twinkle with amusement as if he has just told the best kind of joke. As he looks at him, Sirius can see words wanting to get out of his lips and the man repressing them - it’s strange, he wants to know why. But the answer is all there, isn’t it? Lupin’s attitude screams introverted, unsure: that is what Sirius has read before. Lupin stepping right into his intimate space doesn't really add up, but this little quirk - the way he seems to hold back…

James clears his throat, waking Sirius up from his musings. «Did you say who talked to you about it? The torturing gossip, I mean.»

Sirius let his eyes travel down Lupin's body, mind still half trying to figure him out. He sighs and gives up.

«That may be Miss Figg. Arabella Figg.»


	3. Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lupin offers help, Miss Figg gets a bit emotional and Sirius just can’t believe it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: These guys aren’t mine as you all know. I have no experience of police and forensics work: all I know is from tv shows, crime fiction and a bit of research - there may be many wrong things but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway.
> 
> A/N: I've added a few things in chapter two, so you'll want to re-read it before reading this one.

«That may be Miss Figg. Arabella Figg» Sirius replies, looking just across the street. «That’s her house - I’m going to talk to her» he volunteers, knowing very well how his charm works beautifully on her: that’s one of the reasons she is first on the mental list he had made of people who were likely to talk to him without the need of pulling ranks. It helps when Snuffles runs after one of her cats, terrorising the other two as well: a good word and the right smile can make her forget all about it. «To get some info about some of the stories she told me» _yes_ , he can do this: it’s a piece of cake. «You two could go to Mister Scrimgeour and Mrs Jorkins. Scrimgeour is a retired policeman so he will feel obliged to collaborate, whilst Bertha is a middle school teacher - so she can actually be as useful as Miss Figg» Sirius suggests, nodding to himself.

«You know» Lupin says, amused. «For someone who has just said he knows shit about his own neighbourhood, you seem to know just enough about everyone.»

When he first moved into Alphard’s house, Sirius actually did a research on the people living next to him - either it was because of his trust issues and suspicious nature or because of his job, he didn’t know. What he knows is that having information like this is useful from time to time.

«He likes to underestimate himself in front of strangers - it’s a kind of seduction tactic» James jokes, shrugging, then he looks on the left and winces.

Sirius turns that way too and notices Rita Skeeter walking towards them. «Fuck, Skeets» he says, motioning the other two to start walking in the other direction. «She’s the worst journalist you’ll ever meet» Sirius whispers, taking in Lupin’s expression. «She’ll not take a _no comment_ as a reply - how the fuck does she knows about it already?»

«She’s got sources everywhere» James replies and Sirius almost sighs.

He still remembers what happened last time Skeeter has been on a crime scene, looking or some news to write: Sirius had to listen to one of Moody’s lectures about keeping one mouth’s shut about an ongoing investigation even if it wasn’t him who had told her details meant to be confidential. «Either someone leaked the news or she is listening in on our radio communication like she is the main character of a spy movie»

«Might be a bit of both» Lupin suggests, as they find themselves in front of Miss Figg’s front door.

Sirius looks above his shoulder to see Skeeter interviewing Peter and two other officers - he hopes they won’t give her anything. «So» he begins, looking at the doormat (brown with the writing WELCOME written in green - awful combination). «There is Mister Scrimgeour» he says, pointing to the house on the left. «There is Mrs Jorkins» and he points at the one on the right. «Go talk to them, while I get _Arabella_ to give me some information.»

Lupin stares at him as if he wants to complain and - for the first moment in the few minutes Sirius has known him - he doesn’t hold back and _protests_ a little. «I’ll come with you» the man says, cocking the head on the side - one of his light brown curls falls on his forehead as he does it. It looks soft, all of his hair looks soft - it doesn’t really matter at the moment. «I’ve heard some gossip about how you two are the best, how you can make _anyone_ talk if someone lets you have your way - I want to see it» Lupin says, smiling a little, before moving his eyes away from Sirius’ face. «I have questions too, of course» he adds as an afterthought, as if it serves as an excuse.

Sirius doesn’t know how to take it: he knows he has to accept the help Lupin is ready to give, shrugging off the bad vibes coming from the stranger next to him, but - he looks at James for a second, trying to see if _even now_ the man can read his mind and help him out of the situation, so that Sirius doesn’t have to swallow his pride accepting Lupin’s offer.

«While you are at Miss Figg, I’m going to go to Mister Scrimgeour» he grins, his eyes moving onto said man’s house - the way he says it lets Sirius know that he can stuff his pride and whatever problem he has with Lupin so that they can collaborate.

Sirius swallows and nods, watching him go. He isn’t always like this, he’s usually great when meeting new people - he has gone with Peter for drinks on the very first day the guy was added to the unit. Sirius is funny, outgoing, but Lupin’s eyes (something in Lupin’s eyes) and attitude makes him uncomfortable.

He tries to smile. «Let’s knock before Skeets finds us here and decides that she needs an extra statement» Sirius tells him and Lupin snorts.

«We don’t want that, do we?» he asks and then knocks.

***

«Here is your tea, Sirius dear.»

Miss Figg’s house is actually strangely more comfortable that Sirius thought it would be. There are no creepy cat paintings nor is it full of cat stuff: for a woman known as _the cat lady_ , Arabella Figg surely doesn’t show off his love for cats. Sirius thanks her for the cup of tea, then puts it down, getting ready to speak - at his right side, sitting on the couch, Lupin doesn’t seem to have the intention of opening his mouth. As he takes a sip of his own tea, Sirius asks himself why he accepted his help for the hundredth time in half an hour.

«Miss Figg, I - _we_ are here because we have some questions about Miss Umbridge» he begins as soon as she sits down on the reclining chair in front of him. One of her cats jumps on her lap as the woman adjusts her glasses.

«Dolores? What has she done?» Miss Figg asks, her hands on her pet’s back, caressing it. «I’ve seen the police cars in front of her house and I was going to ask if you knew what happened, later today.»

Sirius watches as the cat ( _Mister Tibbles_ the collar’s tag says) purrs under its owner’s cuddles, eyes closed and a quasi-human smile on its muzzle. «She didn’t do anything» he reassures her, licking his lips while trying to find the words - he decides to go with the truth. «Mister Fudge found her this morning, dead.»

Miss Figg’s eyes widen and her bottom lip trembles as she speaks. «D-dead?» she utters the question in a strangled voice, sounding almost incredulous.

Sirius nods once, his eyes on her face, trying to read her expression. «Yes, she -» he replies, taking a moment before telling her the truth «- we think she was murdered.»

The woman widens his eyes even more than he thinks is possible: she brings one of her hands to cover her mouth and Sirius is worried she might be getting sick just from the news. «Oh God, but - but that’s horrible!» Miss Figg says, her eyes now full of tears. «Dolores wasn’t kind or generous but she didn’t deserve to be killed - it’s… it’s horrible.»

Sirius stands up and walks to her, crouching down to take her free hand in his while feeling Lupin’s eyes on him. He caresses the back of her hand, moving away for a second when Mister Tibbles jumps away from her lap - Sirius sighs, feeling her whole body shaking.

«I know the news shocked you but I need to know a few things, if it’s all right with you» he tells her, keeping his voice soft and low as if trying not to scare her.

Miss Figg sniffles, taking a gulp of air with her mouth, attempting to calm herself down. She tightens her lips and nods in agreement, moving her hand from under Sirius’ one to brush away the tears that have fallen on her cheeks. «Yes, of course - just, just give me a minute or two.»

Sirius watches her stand up and go to the kitchen to probably compose herself before turning back to the couch and sitting in his previous spot. He takes his cup of tea in his hand and begins sipping it.

«What do you think of her reaction?» Lupin asks him - Sirius feels like his eyes have never left him since he stood up just a minute before.

He swallows the warm liquid down and puts the cup on the table. «It felt genuine, didn’t it?» he replies, and this time he looks back at him.

Lupin’s eyes stare into his own for a while before the man’s mouth twitches a little (a smile?). «That’s what I thought.»

«Did you suspect her when I told you her name?»

«Maybe» Lupin answers, his tone is wistful - he moves his eyes, staring into the ceiling as if trying to recollect his thoughts. «We have to suspect everyone in the neighbourhood, don’t we?»

Sirius finds himself secretly agreeing with him: that thought has crossed his mind as soon as he has seen Umbridge’s house. He licks his lips when his eyes find Lupin’s ones again - a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. «Should we suspect me too?» he asks, feeling a bit warmer towards the man as the atmosphere around them seems to lift up a bit.

Lupin shows him a little and slightly awkward smile as he shrugs. «Prime suspect, I’d say. You seem like the type that would be up to no good.»

Sirius watches his face, lets his eyes wander along his forehead, his eyebrows, the straight line of his nose, his mouth - a noise from the kitchen makes him avert his eyes. «You’ll find out soon enough that I actually am» he replies, his tone probably more flirty than he actually intended.

The man snorts, then looks down at his lap where he has put his joined hands and Sirius notices his face sober up, like he has just remembered something - he looks at them too, his curiosity peaked. There, on the man’s left hand, a wedding ring stands, shining as though it is being hit by an holy light. Sirius stares at it for a moment, then looks up again, taking in Lupin’s solemn face - now, he actually has even more questions than before. Then he remembers what he has said, _how_ he has said it and - is Lupin thinking Sirius was making a move on him? Is that what made him react like that?

«Here I am. I’m sorry, I boiled some more water» Miss Figg says as she enters the room: her face is sombre, her eyes red. Sirius didn’t know she was _that_ attached to Umbridge.

He stands up again and takes the kettle out of her hand, putting it on the table, beside the other teapot. «Miss Figg, if you’re feeling unwell we can come back when it’s convenient for you» he helps her sit down as he speaks.

The woman shakes her head and brings an hand to caress her forehead - Sirius notices how she swallows before speaking. «No, don’t worry. I will answer any questions you have - good citizen and all that» Miss Figg says with a weak tone. «You don’t have many questions, do you?»

«We’ll just ask the most important one» Lupin replies, his voice kind. Sirius looks as she turns towards the man and nods.

«Thank you. Go on.»

«You told detective Black about that gossip - Miss Umbridge torturing kids and whatnot» Lupin starts speaking as Sirius pours the hot water in the woman’s cup, soaking a new teabag. «It may be useful to the investigation knowing how it has started. If there was an inch of truth in it.»

Miss Figg’s eyes flashes in recognition as she takes her mug ( _Thank you, Sirius dear_ ). «Oh, _that_ » she utters, looking a bit surprised. She drinks a bit while thinking about it. «I think that people were talking about it after what happened with the Weasleys’ kids.»

Sirius frowns. «The Weasleys?»

«Do you know Molly and Arthur, dear? They’ve got seven children - I believe one of them is about your godson’s age, isn’t he?»

 _Ron_ , his mind reminds him: Sirius has babysat him once, when the boy and Harry were on a sleepover at the Potters.

«Did the gossip involve all seven of them? Were they all allegedly tortured by Dolores Umbridge?» Lupin asks, putting his elbows on the knees.

She shakes her head. «Oh, no, dear. It was about the twins, Fred and George. They’re such smart boys but way too mischievous for their own good.»

Sirius has to agree: he has met the twins and they were just like he and James used to be when they were children. «What happened?»

Miss Figg takes another sip of her tea and sighs. «Dolores tutors - I mean, she _used to_ tutor the Weasleys’ oldest children, William and Charles. Two charming little gentlemen, if I can say it» she shakes her head, as if trying to remember the thread of her thoughts. «Things with them were going well, so Arthur and Molly decided to let her tutor Percival and the twins too» Sirius nods, waiting for her to go on. «You know, with the birth of little Ginevra, things became almost unbearable for them - Fred and George are a bit of a handful and poor Molly is all alone at home during the day. Arthur works as much as he can to be able to make enough money for the kids» Miss Figg puts her cup of tea on the table. «I feel almost sorry for them, their family is scattered all over Europe and the two of them are all alone with seven children…» her voice seems to crack a bit, but she clears her throat. «I’m not making excuses for them, because they aren’t guilty of anything but -» she pauses again. «That day, someone heard screaming coming from Dolores’ house and the twins running away on the streets. Some people say they were crying, someone else says they were laughing - I’m not sure, because I wasn’t here. I was visiting my sister in Sutton» she tells them. «My nephew got married on that very same day: it was really wonderful, a simple wedding» Sirius hasn’t noticed before how much she changed subject when speaking. «What was I saying? Oh, Mathilda told me that little William came out of the house and coaxed the twins to come back inside and be quiet.»

It doesn’t sound all that suspicious, Sirius thinks, they could have pulled a prank on Umbridge or made enough noise to disturb her. Torture should be the last thought when faced with episodes like this one.

«Why didn’t someone call the police?» Lupin asks, watching Miss Figg as though he was studying her.

She helps one of her cats jump on her lap. «Rufus did - they came, said there wasn’t any problem and left» is her reply.

Sirius’ eyes meet Lupin’s and they seem to be having the very same thought: find those officers and talk to them, see if they know something more about it. He nods and looks at Miss Figg, as she speaks again.

«You know, I actually never believed that it was true: Dolores may have been unkind sometimes, but she wasn’t that horrible» the woman says, her face hidden in her own cup of tea.

Sirius studies her. «Then why did you take part in it by telling me?»

She smiles a little, maybe a bit ashamed. «It is funny - having something ludicrous to say.»

***

James sends him a message, telling them that he's gone back to the police station because Moody wants a quick report on what they have. Sirius and Lupin meet them there as soon as they leave Miss Figg's house.

Sirius doesn't know what to think about what she said: apparently he was right about the torture thing not being useful for the case, but Lupin still thinks they should find out the whole truth.

«It is a horrible thing to accuse someone of doing, so we need to know how things went and who spread it. Probably the killer has tried ruining her image in the past.»

It isn't like Sirius doesn't want to go deep into this case: they were on the same page when thinking about tracing back to the officers and get their version of the facts. It's just that -

Sirius likes investigating, he actually loves to follow a lead and let himself be brought to the criminal by it. He loves how the _chase_ feels like.

_But._

But he also knows how to recognise a trustworthy lead and that doesn't seem like it at all. He's not buying it - it doesn't feel right.

«So will you talk to the Weasleys too?» James asks when they finish telling him everything Miss Figg has said as they are waiting for Mad-Eye.

«No» Sirius replies at the same time as Lupin says «Yes.»

«What?» he asks, frowning. «We don’t need to - I think we should just find out who those officers were and talk to them.»

«We need to get the children’s version too!»

«We can’t write down the words of two five years old boys. A Judge wouldn’t take them into account - it wouldn’t be a juvenile court’s trial» he reminds him

Lupin takes a deep breath and brings his hands on his face. «It’s not our job thinking about what will be useful during a trial» he says, looking at Sirius like has just said something insufferable. «We have to follow every lead, even a minor one, to be sure to have every piece of evidence so we can arrest the real culprit» his voice is steady, every word is pronounced clearly. «We can’t afford a wrongful arrest.»

The way he is looking at Sirius irritates him: is he insinuating that Sirius doesn’t care about arresting the wrong person? Is he actually saying that it would be okay with him convicting someone without a piece of evidence?

«Why don’t we wait to see what Moody thinks of it?» James suggests, clearly trying to smooth things over, making Sirius move his eyes away from Lupin while swallowing a retort.

«Yes» Sirius says, as Lupin clears his throat. «We’ll see what he says about it.»

His words are followed by a silence that is almost unbearable - Sirius feels the tension of it in his bones.

«Did you talk to both Scrimgeour and Jorkins?» Lupin asks James, as if he can’t stand it too.

«Only to Scrimgeour, but he said the same things Miss Figg has told you. He heard the yells, then saw the kids running out the house to the street and called the police.»

«Did he say if they were crying or laughing?»

James shakes his head, letting his hand mess his own hair. «He couldn’t tell and wouldn’t take the risk of assuming it was laughter.»

 _That_ _’s because he tends to assume the worst of people_ , Sirius thinks, _after being a police officer for as long as he has been._ «Did he remember the officers’ names?»

His friend gets the jotter he has given him earlier and browses through it. «No» he replies after a while. «But he remembered the date, so we can go through the reports of that day.»

 _Good_ , that is something Sirius is willing to do, no matter how tedious it may be. He is about to say it, when they see Moody exit his office, looking for them.

«Black, Lupin, Potter» he barks out. «Report to me in my office, now.»


	4. The Weasleys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius boxes, Lily is more useful than Snape (but Sirius already knew it) and Lupin, James and Sirius are now a trio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** These guys aren’t mine as you all know. I have no experience of police and forensics work: all I know is from tv shows, crime fiction and a bit of research - there may be many wrong things but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway.  
>  **A/N:** I always forget to say that English isn’t my mother language and nobody but myself re-reads and corrects the chapters, so if there is any mistake it’s all my fault.

Sirius can feel the sweat rolling off his face as he jogs in place, waiting for his opponent's next move.

As soon as a punch is coming to his face, he crouches down and aims for the side, making him grunt.

Sirius smirks and punches the jaw, then the side again - takes a deep breath and avoids being punched in the liver by slipping away to the left.

Giving another punch to the side, followed by a quick series of other hits to the guy’s upper body, Sirius finally knocks him down and wins the match.

Boxing always takes his mind off things: that’s one of the reasons he has started practising it on and off in the last five years. The second is that James insisted, saying Sirius couldn’t go around fighting his way through pubs if he wanted to keep being a cop - he was clearly right, so Sirius joined the gym and began to take boxing classes. He isn’t at pro-level, so the matches he does are generally mock matches for amateurs but they take the edge off and it pays off.

Sirius takes his gloves off and helps the other man stand up, before getting out of the ring. The thoughts he has been suppressing rush all in his mind, making him wince.

Moody agreed with Lupin.

Sirius doesn’t know how that is even possible, but he has and now Sirius is stuck with Lupin and his idea of going to the Weasleys after getting the postmortem report from the Lab with James. He has talked to Molly earlier, asking if she was okay with it and Molly has actually listed a few things that they couldn’t tell the children while speaking with them (Umbridge’s death being the first thing on the list). As for Mad-Eye request, they will keep it short, trying not to traumatise the children nor speaking with them without one of the parents.

Sirius tugs at his hair tie, shaking his head to let his hair free from the messy bun - Lily always says he looks like Snuffles when he tries to dry his own coat when he does it, but he really doesn’t care. A grimace makes its way on his face when he takes a look at himself in the mirror of the locker room: his bottom lip was cut and his left eye seems on the way to swell a bit - fucking Caradoc and those brutal punches of his.

«Do you need an ice pack?»

Sirius raises his eyes to meet the ones of the man he has been cursing, holding out an ice bag while pressing another one to his own jaw. He nods and accepts it, putting it beside his almost-swollen eye, feeling a bit relieved.

«It’s all your fault, you know?» Caradoc says, his voice amused, as he sits on the bench in front of him. «You should have kept on hitting the punching bag.»

Sirius watches the way the man slides down his seat as he opens slightly his legs - his eyes meet Caradoc’s brown ones and he feels his lip sting as he tries to smirk. «And missing the chance to punch you in the face? Nah, thank you»

The man looks at him, challenging. «What’s with my face?» he asks, amusement slipping in his voice - his free hand slides down his thigh to his knee.

Sirius follows the movement with an uninterested look, feeling the tension humming through the room: it sings to him, it’s something that helps clear his mind too. «Well…It’s glued to your body?»

Caradoc barks out a laugh. «I didn’t hit you that hard, did I?»

He shrugs. «At least I’ll be able to stand in the shower without being too sore» he replies as he nods towards the man’s sides, right where Sirius has hit him.

Caradoc looks at him, licking his lips. «Oh, yeah. I think I may need a hand with that»

Sirius’ eyes brighten up briefly with mischief as they run over the other’s body - a dark chuckle tickling his throat. «Do you, now?»

***

It’s two in the afternoon when James calls him, telling him to meet them (James and Lupin - apparently they are now a trio) at the morgue to take the autopsy report and talk to the forensics. Sirius can’t help but sigh, taking off the helmet as he decides whether or not to climb down his motorbike: he is still sore from the match and spending part of the day with Lupin and Snape is the last thing he wants to do right now. He probably should have taken some painkiller, but after his usual morning run it didn’t really hurt that much. Sirius winces, as he spots Lupin coming towards him - he has a bit of a stubble on his cheeks and, if one looks closely enough, there are bags under his eyes. He probably hasn’t slept that much that night.

«Lupin» Sirius greets him, tipping his bike’s helmet as one would tip a hat.

The man jumps a little, as if he hasn’t seen Sirius at all while walking there. «Bla — _What_ _’s that bruise?_ » he asks, stopping mid-greeting after getting a better look at his face. The way he frowns is a bit in between confusion and concern - Sirius doesn’t know why Lupin should be concerned about him.

«Oh, just gym» Sirius shrugs, finally kicking off the side stand and getting off the bike.

«Gym?»

«You know — the place in which one plays a sport or exercises» Sirius jokes, putting the helmet in the rear trunk.

«I _know_ what a gym is — I meant, you don’t get bruises on your face doing pilates,» Lupin replies, waiting for him before walking towards the building entrance.

«Do I look like someone who practises pilates?» he asks, halting right into the hall and gesturing at his own body.

Lupin looks at him from head to toe and vice versa: Sirius feels a bit uncomfortable (a good type of uncomfortable) under the inspection, then a blink of gold reminds him of the man’s grimace from the day before and he feels himself tensing involuntarily. He clears his throat and Lupin’s green eyes find his grey ones.

«You’re a little too out of proportion to be doing pilates» the man says, tearing his gaze away from Sirius’ face. «Upper body is more developed.»

It’s surprising, really - because his lower body isn’t _that_ underdeveloped: you really have to look to spot the different muscle growth. Sirius doesn’t like his body being too disproportioned so he tries to work out his legs as much as he can. That Lupin was able to spot the difference was - Sirius looks up surprised as the elevator doors open. He hasn’t noticed they have resumed walking, too lost in his own thoughts.

«So,» he says, after pushing the floor button. «I go to the gym, I have bruises and my upper body is more fit than the lower part: what do I actually do at the gym?»

Lupin raises an eyebrow and cocks his head to the side. «Are you testing my deduction skills?»

Sirius shrugs. «People say Mad-Eye insisted on having you on the team.»

«Oh — so you’re testing his decision process» he replies, with a twinkle in his eyes that makes the bags under them disappear - his back is straighter than before, now that they are joking. Sirius should stop noticing things about him.

The elevator stops, having arrived at the floor, and Sirius comes out of it first, letting Lupin follow him. The sound of their steps echo in the empty hallway and it reminds him how creepy he finds the place to be: the walls are white, just like the doors, and there is always a smell of antiseptic - it makes him want to throw up right away. He swallows as they reach the morgue’s door, feeling Lupin’s shoulder bump into his as he stops walking. Sirius is about to turn and glare at him, when James’ voice halts his movements.

«You’re both here, good» he says, coming from the other side of the corridor. When he looks up, Sirius sees James’ expression change from an easy smile to a worried grimace. «What did you do? Blimey, Remus, you look like you’re back from the dead.»

«More or less» is Lupin’s reply, showing him a tight smile. «I couldn't sleep well.»

James nods, shooting him a last worried look, before watching Sirius - or, well, his bruise. «Travers?»

«Dearborn.»

A beat, as if his friend is remembering who Dearborn is. «Did you win?»

Sirius raises an eyebrow. «Have I ever lost?»

James snorts and pats him on the shoulder. «Good» he says and then opens the door of the morgue and let himself in, holding it open for them.

Sirius feels Lupin's hand on his shoulder, caressing it to try and get his attention. He turns his head, looking at him in question but the other man just smiles.

«Boxing» Lupin says, as if he is just now replying to his earlier question. «That's what you do, isn't it?» and with that he follows James in the room.

That’s the second time Sirius finds himself looking at his back in the twenty-four hours he has known him: it’s covered by the man’s jacket but he still searches for answers on his owner in it.

Snape is talking when he enters the room: he seems to be his usual friendly self and Sirius actually regrets getting out of bed. James is listening to him, trying hard not to rile him up, while Lupin is actually having a normal conversation with him - Sirius has to look twice when one of the corners of Snape’s mouth raises as if he was biting back a smile. At least, James looks as shocked as he feels.

«There was no more chamomile left, Sev, so I made an Earl Grey for you too» Lily’s voice says as the woman enters the room with two mugs in her hands. «Oh, you’re already here» she notices, putting the mugs on a counter and greeting James with a kiss. «I just finished writing the report» Lily tells them, giving Sirius a kiss on the cheek and a disapproving glare at his bruise. She then looks at Lupin and holds out a hand for him to shake. «Doctor Lily Evans.»

Lupin watches her with a small smile while his eyes light up in what seems like delight. «Detective Remus Lupin» he shakes her hand.

Lily gives him an appraising look, then gazes at Sirius with a smile of her own. «As I was saying, I just finished writing the report. I’m sure Doctor Snape was informing you of everything we’ve found out.»

Sirius is extremely pleased to see Severus Snape look chastened by the way his colleague is looking at him. «I was about to» he says, trying to sound as disdainful as ever, as he takes his mug.

Lily sighs, knowing really well that the three of them aren’t able to cooperate peacefully - she takes her tea in one hand and begins to walk to a sort of closet. Then she sips her Earl grey and pulls out one of the drawers showing them a stretcher with a corpse on it - Umbridge’s corpse.

«Dolores Umbridge, 63» Lily says, holding the mug with both hands. «You thought the cause of death to be severe blood loss and that’s true: she has lost more or less a fifty per cent of her blood volume. However, Doctor Snape said there wasn’t any blood on the scene.»

James hums, looking at the victim. «The floor was immaculate as if someone had just cleaned it.»

«She was clean too» Sirius says, remembering what she looked like on the crime scene. «The only bloody thing was her tongue.»

«How do we explain it?» Lupin asks. «There wasn’t any sign that made us think she was killed in some other place and then move there - beside the clean floor.»

Snape moves towards them and lifts the sheet covering the body. «The really strange thing is how the blood loss was caused» he says and points at various scars through Umbridge’s body. «Can you see them? Doctor Evans and I think these cuts were made at the same time as the one on the cheek.»

«How fresh was it?» James asks, looking between Lily and Snape.

Lily takes another sip before replying. «Given that she may have died between eleven p.m. and one a.m. - at the time the body was found they were nine or eleven hours old.»

«But - they are too big and deep to have been healed in that amount of time» Sirius utters, voice tight with confusion. «Nobody can heal that fast.»

He turns his head to find Lupin watching carefully the scars - the shadows under his eyes are more prominent than ever. «What about the writing?» he asks after a beat, his voice sounds as cold as the body they are studying to Sirius’ ears.

Lily gives her mug to James and then takes a pair of gloves from one of her lab coat’s pockets and puts them on. « _I must not tell lies_ » she reads, taking the arm in question in her hand and twisting it gently, so that the writing is easier to see. «Doctor Snape and I first thought it could be some kind of carving knife, but it isn’t: around every letter there is a little burnt ring.»

«Burnt? Was she _branded_?» James asks, sounding as horrified as Sirius feels.

«No, I don’t think so. I think they used a laser or something that has the same effect to carve the words out» Lily replies, watching him. «They used the same thing to cut her tongue out.

«A laser?» Sirius asks, before he can stop himself. «Normal people don’t go around with a pocket sized laser — I don’t even think they exist outside spy movies.»

Lupin hums in agreement and Sirius turns to watch him again: his expression is tight as he keeps on observing the corpse as if the morgue’s lights can give him a new perspective to get some answers. Then, his gaze moves briefly and quickly to Snape, who has walked back to the entrance to get the printed copy of the autopsy report from an assistant.

«Is there anything else? Something that can help us to find the culprit» James asks, giving Lily her mug back, once she has taken her gloves off.

She takes it with a thanks, then shakes her head. «Whoever killed her was very careful not to leave a thing that could lead us back to them. No DNA, no fingerprints - nothing.»

Lupin sighs, lips slightly pouted. «This proves to be one hell of a case» he says. «I can tell it will take a while to crack it.»

The silence that follows his statement is quieter than ever: Sirius can’t help but agree with him and a sense of dread descends in the growing pit in his stomach. All they can do, at the moment, is follow Weasley’s lead and interview people who knew her: for the first time, Sirius can’t see a way to solve this case. He accepts the printed report from Snape’s hands and starts leafing through it, as the forensics doctor covers once again the body and pushes back the drawer.

«Well,» James says, after a minute or so. «Thank you for your job» he says, kissing Lily on the cheek. «I think we have to go.»

Sirius nods, closing the folder. «We have to be at the Weasleys in an hour» he tells Lupin.

«Oh, about Molly —» Lily says, walking with them to the door. «Could you take Harry from the day care and bring him with you?» she says in a low voice (probably to make sure Snape can’t listen) while looking at Sirius. «He is supposed to spend the night at her home, but I’ve still got a bunch of stuff to do.»

He smiles - the idea of spending a little time with his godson brightens up his day. «Sure, I will» he replies. «Wait — does that mean you will come with the two of us to the pub tonight?»

«The three of us» James corrects him, giving Lupin a slap on the back. «Kingsley said he managed to convince _this one_ to join the unit’s weekly night at the pub.»

«Oh» Sirius lets out. «He’ll have to do the rite of initiation, won’t he?»

Lupin looks at him, then at James - the matching smirks on both of their faces. «I suddenly fear for my life.»

***

Harry is very happy to see him: he runs right into his arms with one of his big smiles and demands to be held while Sirius is about to greet the teacher. As they walk back to the car, Sirius sees Lupin trying to put together the child seat. The ride to Harry’s day care has been awkward and silent: James has insisted that Sirius had to put his motorbike at home and go to the Weasleys with Lupin’s car, because Harry couldn’t go with him on _that thing_.

«So — who is winning?» he asks, watching as the detective wrestles with the _damned thing_ \- he clears his throat to let the man know there is a child with them.

«I like to think that I am» Lupin replies with a grunt, attempting to push something - it seems to do the trick: the child seat is magically fixed.

«Think about it: you are exercising for when you and the missus will be expecting» Sirius tries to joke, watching him emerge from the backseat.

Lupin gazes at him. «It won't be a problem» he replies with a strange chord in his voice, making him feel guilty.

Perhaps, it isn't an easy topic for him: Sirius knows how awful it can be not being able to conceive quickly - James' parents are a living example of it. «I'm sorry»

The man shakes his head, waving off his words, and takes Harry’s hand in one of his own. «Hi, I’m Remus» he introduces himself with a steady voice, not changing it to baby talk him. «What’s your name?»

Harry smiles shyly and hides his face in the crook of Sirius’ neck, mumbling a reply against his skin. «His name is Harry» Sirius sighs out, amused, taking pity on his godson - who is being strangely timid.

«It’s a pleasure to meet you, Harry» Lupin replies, shaking the boy’s hand as one would do with an adult. «Now that we’ve introduced ourselves I think I could give you a ride to your friend’s house.»

At those words, Harry perks up, eyes twinkling, looking at Lupin and then at his godfather. «Going to Ron?»

«Yes, we are going to Ron’s house — your mum said you and him are having a pyjama party» he answers and Harry’s smile is so bright that he may as well said that he was allowed to eat only chocolate ice-cream for the rest of his life.

«Let’s go!» the child yells, struggling to be put down and the adults follow his order just like his own private soldiers.

The ride to the Weasleys is more enjoyable: once Harry warms up to Lupin, he doesn’t seem able to shut up so that there isn’t uncomfortable silence - there is only Harry’s excited chatter about his day and his plans about his play-date with Ron. Sirius is aware of the stupid smile on his lips and doesn’t try to hide it.

«Harry, love, how are you?» is the first thing Molly Weasley says as she opens the door. Sirius watches as she crouches down to hug the child, giving him a kiss on the cheek after. «Ron was waiting for you. He is in the sitting room» she tells him and Harry bolts in the house, probably in the direction of said room.

Molly looks at him amusedly before beckoning them inside. «Hi, Sirius» she greets him, then holds out her hand to Lupin. «Molly Weasley.»

«Detective Remus Lupin»

«It's a pleasure» she says, then guides them to the sitting room, where her children and Harry are playing a sort of game. «Do you want something to drink? Tea? Water?»

Lupin smiles kindly, nodding. «I'd appreciate a cuppa, thank you Mrs. Weasley.»

«For me too» Sirius says, then looks at her. She seems already so tired that he can't help but give her a moment of rest. «Why don't you sit and talk with Detective Lupin, whole I'll go to make tea for the three of us?» he suggests, pushing her to sit in one of the armchairs. «I know where everything is» he reassures her, as she is about to protest. «And if I do not — well, finding things is a part of my job, isn't it?»

Molly gives him a little smile, along with some directions about things and a thank you. Sirius shrugs and goes to the kitchen: the kettle is right beside the stove and he takes a minute to look if it needs more water before putting it on. He can hear Harry's laughter as he chooses three tea bags as well as three mugs.

There are a lot of children-sized glasses in the cupboard and it makes him grin. Sirius has loved children ever since one of his cousins gave birth to a little girl while he was still in school: she was a precious little thing and since that moment, he has known he wanted one or two of his own. Luckily, Harry may as well be his own son too, with all the co-parenting he does, so he doesn’t feel a burning need to become a parent at the moment.

«Mr. Sirius?» two little hands tug at the fabric of his jeans. Sirius looks down to find two almost identical faces stare innocently right back to him - here they are, Fred and George. «Can we have a glass of water, please?» one of the two asks, and he nods.

«Sure thing, kiddo» Sirius says, taking two glasses out of the cupboard and filling them with water. «Try not to spill it all over you» he suggests, as they take a glass each. They nod, still watching him with the very same innocence, before going back to the sitting room.

Sirius watches them leave with a frown - a hint of suspicion at the back of his head. Their behaviour is unusually quiet and nothing goes well when a pair of pranksters are being ingenuous almost on purpose. He tries to shake it off as he pours the boiling water in the three mugs.

«Here I am» he says, putting the tray with the cups on the little table in front of the couch. «Molly» gives her her cup of tea, turning his back to Lupin. There is a noise behind him, a sort of cough, and when he turns back toward the man, Lupin is stifling a laughter while covering his mouth with a hand. «What—?»

Lupin reaches with a hand towards his back, pulling at something. «I think the twins made a drawing for you» he replies, showing him a piece of paper.

It’s the drawing of the most ugly fish Sirius has ever seen with a piece of tape stuck on the top, so that it would adhere to his jeans. «I knew it — they were too quiet!»

Molly tightens her lips at the sight of it and puts her mug back on the tray as she stands up. «Fred and George Weasley» her voice is loud as Molly puts her hands on her hips. «Come here and tell Sirius that you're sorry»

«Molly, don't worry. It's just a harmless prank.»

«No, they have to learn that we don’t treat our guests like that» she says as the two children come to them.

«Mum, we just thought it was funny!»

«We were trying to give Mr. Sirius a gift!»

«It was a drawing of him!»

«We worked hard on it!»

Sirius doesn’t know if he has to be more offended or amused by their excuses: that fish is nothing like him - he bites his lips so that he doesn’t laugh.

«What do I have to do with the two of you?» Molly asks rhetorically. «Just say you’re sorry and if he forgives you, I might do the same.»

Fred and George look at him with the most contrite faces two five years olds can pull off and Sirius sighs, sitting on the couch. «I forgive you» he says, gazing the drawing again. «Just because it is one of the cutest fishes I’ve ever seen» he lies, winking at them. The boys give him two huge smiles and try to go back to playing with their brothers, but a little cough from Lupin halts their steps.

«Actually — Mr. Sirius and I have to ask you something. Is that okay with you?» he states in a kind tone.

Sirius watches as the boys look at each other before nodding. «As long as it’s quick» says the shorter one, making his mother glare half-heartedly at him.

«It will be really quick, I promise» he replies, giving a quick glance at Lupin from the corner of his eye.

The man nods in agreement. «We just want to know what kind of pranks do you usually do, so that we can use some of your ideas on our friends» he says. «For example, I don’t know — what kind of pranks do you pull at your brothers?»

The one Sirius is sure it’s Fred widens his eyes, something like excitement shining in them. «All kinds of pranks! Percy and Ron are so easy to prank!»

«One day we drew on Percy’s face while he was sleeping. He woke up with a moustache!» George tells them.

«At Halloween we put a fake spider on Ron’s shoulder and he was so scared that he went to sleep with Bill!»

«Do you ever prank Bill or Charlie?» Sirius asks, trying to see if they could slowly build up to get to the point.

Fred and George stare at each other yet again, before the last one shakes his head. «No, we don’t —»

«— wait!» Fred whispers, a little too loudly. «There was that one time!»

Lupin frowns. «Which one?»

George seems confused at first, then he nods. «Yes! When we went to the witch’s house!»

«The witch?»

«Yes, the one that looks like a toad — Bill and Charlie go to her house to study.»

Sirius meets Lupin’s eyes, finding in them the very same name that is flashing in his mind: _Umbridge_. «What did you do?» he asks, trying not to sound too eager.

The children glance at their mother (who is back in the armchair, drinking her tea) and scoot closer to them, so that she can’t hear. «Well — we were bored.»

«And Bill was doing a volcano…»

«So we added a bit more of baking soda —»

«— a lot more —»

«— and then there was so much foam!»

«It didn’t stop! It was _everywhere_!»

«Then the witch yelled and we ran out of the house.»

«Because it was so funny, but she was so scary!»

«Bill and Charlie thought it was an amazing prank, though.»

«Yes, she was covered in foam - it was awesome!»

Lupin raises his eyebrows, while Sirius blinks, incredulous. «That’s what happened?»

«Well,» Fred answers. «We wanted to bring some firecrackers too, but Bill said we can’t use them until we are as tall as him.»

«And he is very tall!» George adds, pointing at his oldest brother.

As Sirius thanks them and tells them to go back to play, Lupin sprawls out on his seat, sighing. Sirius has to hold back the will of saying how right he has been on this lead as he watches the man shake his head. In a way, he understands why Moody had insisted: it was their only lead, after all - even he is upset that they have got nothing out of it.

Harry runs to him, to show him one of Ron’s toys, and Sirius smiles, giving him a kiss on the cheek. _God,_ they have to tell James that searching for the police report of that day is probably useless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter I've written for this story until now. It took a bit, because I wasn't really sure about my writing style, but - well, there it is. I hope you liked it!


End file.
